Arun Kashyap/ Haridwar
The degradation of the Namami Gange Ghat, built on Ganga bank in Shyampur area, has become a critical issue with the locals holding the Irrigation department’s negligence responsible. A large portion of the ghat is about to cave in due to continuous erosion. The people living near the ghat fear that a large part of the ghat might be washed away if the Ganga floods.
Alarmingly, with the monsoon being active in Uttarakhand, the water level of the Ganga is constantly rising and falling. The expected huge pilgrim footfalls during Kanwad Yatra may worsen things further.
Local residents say that despite the continuous erosion of the ghat’s banks, the Irrigation department has not undertaken any permanent protective measures. “If immediate repairs and bank protection works are not carried out, the ghat may suffer significant damage during the next flood,” said a local, adding that it would not only damage the government-funded structure but also increase the danger to the surrounding area.
They demanded the administration and Irrigation department to immediately conduct a technical inspection and implement boulder pitching, embankment strengthening and other necessary protective measures to stop erosion.
“Despite warnings issued every year during the monsoon season, negligence continues. Unless corrective steps are taken promptly, a major disaster may become unavoidable,” another local said.
Queried about the collective concerns over the condition of the ghat, the junior engineer of Irrigation department, Robindar Kumar said that they were unable to take effective steps to stop the erosion due to the non-receipt of the no-objection certificate.
